Whitney Houston has a verse in one of her songs that says “I believe the children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way.” L.J. Watson, one of Victoria’s finest, emulates those words.

L.J., a 17-year-old senior at Central High School has made the honor roll each term of his high school career and currently holds a 3.7 GPA. He is a member of the National Honor Society (NHS) at Central High School. According to its website, the NHS is “the nation’s premier organization established to recognize outstanding high school students. More than just an honor roll, NHS serves to recognize those students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of scholarship, service, leadership and character.”

While in high school, L.J. received an industry certification through the NCCER Standardized Craft Training Program via the High Performance Technology course at Southside Virginia Community College.

This enabled him to join Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, the world’s largest and most prestigious honor society for two-year college students.

This young man excels in all areas, including making the All-Conference and All-Regional in Basketball and All-Conference in baseball. And with all that on his plate, he holds down a part-time job at Food Lion. HE is truly impressive.

L.J.’s goals are to attend a four-year university and pursue a degree in engineering.

Houston said she believed the children are our future, but if she would have had the opportunity to meet L.J., she would have “known” they are because this young man is a true leader and will accomplish even greater things in the future. Nice job L.J. Keep making us proud.

Mary Simmons is a columnist for The K-V Dispatch. She can be reached at ABoxofLoveKVD@gmail.com.